Portable grinder.



M. E'. APGAR.

PORTABLE GRINDER.

APPLICATION FILED 0020.19, 1911.

' of the invention UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

MARSHALL F. APGAR, OF HIGH BRIDGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 TAYLOR- IRON & STEEL COMPANY, OF HIGH BRIDGE, NEW' JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PORTABLE GRINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, MARSHALL F. APGAR, a citizen of the United States,.residing at High Bridge, .in the county of Hunterdon an State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Grinders, of which the following is a specification. p

This invention relates to portable universal grinders, and more particularly to a portable flexible shaft grinder, the object being to provide an improved machine of this character which is self-contained, so that driving shafting and counter shafting is unnecessar and in which the motor and the grinder will be directly connected, so that there is no lost motion nor lost power, and in which the grinder can be'used for work anywhere within a radi-ue1 equal to the length of the flexible shaft, thus making it possible to -work around very large castings without moving the machine, and which machine is also portable, so that it can be readily carried from place to place as may be desired.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a top view of this improved portable grinder; Fig, 2 is a side, partly sectional, view thereof; and Fig. 3 is a view illustrating a drill adapted for use with this im roved machine.

Similar characters of re erence indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

The overhead shating and counter shafting required by ordinary Grinding and drilling machines is entirely dbne away with hy means ofthe present improvement, which comprises a suitable motor, such as an electric motor 2, mounted upon a suitable support or platform 3 swiveled, as at 4, to a 'tripod 5, suitable ball bearin s 3 being provided between the tripod an the platform thereby to permit the motor to adjust itself to any position which the grinder and exible shaft ma assume, thus materially lengthening the life of the shaft, Located on the platform at one side is the usual rheostat 7, and at the opposite side there is located a spring-controlled'reel 8 automatically operative to take up the slack of the electric conductor to the motor, thus removing the danger of injury to the conductor as welll as maintaining the same out of the way.

Connected to this reel is a small .crank a,

having a ratchet wheel 10 with which a pawl 1l is adapted to engage, and by means of which crank the electric lconductor may be rolled or unrolled, as may be desired., The legs of the tripod are fitted with suitable adjustable casters 13, which may be easily thrown into a rolling position to permit the motor to be easily moved across the floor.

Connected with the motor is a flexible shafting 14, the point of'connection thereof with the motor being supported by an outwardly extending bracket or arm 15 connected with the platform upon which the motor is mountedn The end of this iiexible shafting is connected with the desired tool to be actuated, which in Figs. l and 2 is shown as a grinding wheel 16, while in Fig. 3 it is shown as a drill.

The grinding wheel is'kprovided with a suitable handle 17, shown as of U-shaped form and provided with a bearing 21 for the extreme end of the grinding wheel shaft and with a clamp 22 for attachment to the flexible shaft. This handle is so located that it is not only very convenient for the operator in holding the grinding wheel, but also enables great pressure to be exerted on the wheel in grindingo This handle is made as a two-part member fastened together as at 23, whereby the outer portion thereof may be removed to enable the grinding wheel to be operated close to the corners of various shapes of work.

ln practice, as hereinbefore stated, a suitable drill 25 may be used in place of the grinding wheel, and as the driving mechanism may be removed a considerable distance from the work this makes it possible, by means of a long handle, to drill holes in recesses otherwise inaccessible. In the form show the drill is rovided with a clamping member 26 exten ing through a holder cr bracket 27 and adjustable therein, suitable check-nuts 28 being provided for clamping it in. position. relatively 'to its holder, the drill hein supported for rotary movement in the ho der..

the present improvement it will be observed that the grinder, or the drill, is directly connected y a exible shaft with the motor, which may be moved from place 'to place and which, by means of the long exible shaft, can be used for work anywhere within a radius equal to the length of the ilexible shaft about the center of the ing tripod, thus making it possible to work around very large castingsand also to use the machine without moving the same where the castings are small and are moved forward in regular order as is now quite comvmon in large manufacturing houses.

By means of the present improvement the necessity for universal joints in the shafting is entirely removed, as the motor will adjust itself to any position of the shaft and its. grinding wheel.

One of the advantages of the present improvement is thatl the speed of the grinder and drill may be controlled to suit the particular work in hand.

Some of the advantages of the present improvement may also be obtained by supportthe motor and its accessories herein shown by a ball bearing fixture pendent from above if preferred. In other words, the motor may be provided at the top thereof with a ball bearing swiveled fixture, so that the tripod may bereadily disconnected and the -grinder complete2 hooked to a crane, and transferred quickly from one point to another where work is to be done.

The present improvement is particularly designed for use in connection with manganese steel castings and particularly with castings of large size which are difiicult to handle, vand therefore it is essential that some simple portable self-contained apparatus be provided which will permit work f upon these castings at variousy sides and points without the necessity of moving the casting itself and in which apparatus the motor can control the operation ofthe machine at the point where the work is being done.

I. claim as my invention:

1. A self contained portable machine adapted to work on heavy steel castings, comprising a platform, an electric motor secured to said platform and carrying means for suspending the same, a tool carrying flexible shaft connected to said motor and supported by said platform and adapted to interchangeably carry a grinding wheel or a drill, means located at one side of said platform and portable therewith for controlling the operation of said motor, and means located at another side .of said platform and portable therewith for carrying an electric conductor and automatically operative to take up the slack thereof.

2. A' self contained portable machine adapted to work on heavy steel castings, comprising a platform having a forwardly projecting arm, an electric motor secured to said platform and carrying meansfor suspending the same, a tool carrying flexible shaft connected to said motor and supported by said arm for rotation with said platform and adapted to interchangeably carry a grinding wheel or a drill, means located at grinding one side of said platform and movable therewith for controlling the operation of said o motor, and a reel located at the opposite side of said platform and movable therewith for carrying an electric conductor and automatically operative to take up the slack thereof.

3. A self contained portable machine adapted to work on heavy steel castings, comprising supporting means having adjustable means shiftable in position to permit the same to be rolled around on the floor, a platform rotatably secured to said supporting means, an electric motor secured to said platform for rotation therewith, a tool carrying flexible shaft connected to said motor and supported for rot-ation with said platform and adapted to interchangeably carry a grinding wheel or a drill, means located at one side of said `platform and portable therewith for controlling the operation of said motor, and means located at another side of said platform and portable therewith for carrying an electric conductor and automatically operative to take up' the slack thereof.

4. A self contained portable machine adapted to work on heavy steel castings, comprising supporting 4means having adjustable means shiftable in position to permit the same to be rolled around on the floor, a platform detachably and rotatably' secured to said supporting means,'an electric motor secured to said platform for rotation therewith and carrying means for suspending the` same when detached from its floorsupporting means, a tool carrying iexible shaft connected to said motor an supported for rotation with said vplatform and adapted to interchangeably carry a wheel or a drill, means located at one side of said platform and portable therewith at all times for controlling the operation of said motor, and means located at another side of said platform and port-- able therewith at all times for carrying an electric conductor and automatically operative to take up the slack thereof.

5. A self contained portable machine adapted to work on heavy steel castings, comprising an electric motor, means detachably and rotatably secured thereto at the underside thereof for supporting it at such underside, means secured thereto at its upper side for suspending it when detached from its underside sup orting means, a tool carrying flexible sha connected to said motor land supported for rotation therewith and adapted to interchangeably 'carry a grinding wheel or a drill, means located at one side of said motor and ortable therewith at all times .for controlfing the operation of said motor, and a reel located at another side of said motor and portable therewith at all times for carrying an electric conductor and automatically operative to take up the slack thereof.

`6. A self contained portable machine adapted to Work on heavy steel castings, comprising tripod supporting means having adjustable means shiftable in position to permit the same to be rolled around on the by said arm for rotation with said platform and adapted to interchangeably carry a grinding Wheel or a drill, means located at -one side of said platform and portable therewith at all times for controlling the operation of said motor, and a reel located at another side of said platform and portable therewith at all times for carrying an electric conductor and automatically operative to take up the slack thereof.

MARSHALL F. APGAR.

lVitnesses T. M. BUCK, LIN VELEMER. 

